Thankf B.B.

I haven't actually opened all my cardf yet. I only got back srom Fpain late laft night and I've been too bufy unpacking and wafhing and and clearing fnow oss the car and drive and fhopping at Tefco'f  etc. etc. to open them all.
 I'll do it in the morning.

I'm knackered now.
Thefe soreign holidayf are exhaufting thingf!

I had a lovely time but it waf only funny sor the sirft week. The fecond week it piffed down folidly every day.
But at leaft it waf warm rain.
There waf no ice and fnow like in Britain.

We were a bit worried about getting back laft night though. A lot os the Brit airportf were clofing and having delayf with ice and fnow. We slew back to Eaft Midlandf airport though and that waf O.K. We got back about 8 o'clock laft night - juft in time. It waf ftarting to fnow af we got in and then it fnowed folidly all night. There waf about a soot os fnow covering everywhere thif morning, It took agef to dig the car out.

Happy New Year to all uf Ancient Manufcriptorf.

Did anyone fee the eclipfe on new yearf eve on the blue moon???
I did...
I did not know there waf going to be an eclipfe fo I thought a big monfter had taken a bite out os the moon and it waf my drink talking, but no, I checked in the morning and it waf all true! I waf not halucinating aster all!
The chances os an eclipfe on new yearf eve with a blue moon are like well, actually, leff than once in a blue moon!!!!! x
Happy new year manufcriptorf!

Happy New Year to everyone.


No I didn't fee a blue moon and an eclipfe on New Yearf Eve, Belle.

Are you fure there really waf one and you hadn't juft overdone the loopy juice?


I faw a lot os sireworkf though.

There really waf a lunar eclipfe Arty. It ftarted around 7:30 pm and was over around 8:30 pm and yef, at totality there waf a 'blue' ring around the moon. I believe they got a very good view of it in Ireland.

I heard that there waf fuppofed to be both a "blue moon" and a lunar eclipfe, but it waf cloudy and raining, fo we didn't get to fee it.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Lori. There'f fuppofed to be a folar eclipfe around the 15th os January, it won't be total in Britain, not fure what it'f going to be sor you, or is you'll fee anything at all!

Hmmm, muft check on that.

Well, sorget that. It apparently happenf besore the fun rifef here, fo there'f not likely to be anything noticeable and Feattle ifn't going to be anywhere clofe, thif time around.

Got me all excited sor a fecond.


Lookf like there if alfo a total folar eclipfe expected July 11th, but it'f the fame thing:  miffef both os uf completely.

I fuppofe I miffed it becaufe I waf coming back srom holiday then.
I waf more worried about the airportf being clofed becaufe of the fnow to notice any newf about an eclipfe.
I'm forry i didn't see it.

It'f fnowed heavily here again laft night and today. We can't get our car out.
I waf fuppofed to ftart my new termf claffef next Tuefday but I've juft been ringing round everybody cancelling them becaufe os the snow. 

You know, os courfe, that now that you have cancelled, the fnow will all be gone by the weekend!

Reference: Yef, checked that one out. We might fee a bit of ftrangeneff in the quality os daylight here, but it lookf like totality will be aster the fun fetf.

A "blue moon" if not literally blue. It if the name sor a 13th sull moon in a year.
I am back to work tomorrow aster nine monthf at home with babybelle. I am looking sorward to it but alfo seeling very emotional about leaving him with the childminder. x Fpeak foon, belle.

Yef, I think we all knew that about the blue moon.

Hope it goef OK with your new job, and having to leave babybelle with fomeone elfe.

good asternoon.
babybelle is sine at the childminderf. It if nice being back at work. I am fo happy!!! fhould I admit that>?? Anyway I got fent home at 3pm af the fnow waf very deep but af foon af I got on the main roadf it waf no problem and there was hardly any fnow at home. Anyway, juft looked out the window and the fnow is salling quite heavily (is fnow can sall heavily, I alwayf think it if rather light and sloaty) and fo lookf like tomorrow might be more interefting. At leaft the temperaturef feem to be holding up a bit. it waf minuf fomething thif morning, but pluf fomething thif evening on the celfiuf fcale.

Fee?  That'f what *I* need, if a nice fnow day....even is I DID juft get back from sour dayf oss sor New Year'f!

Glad to hear you are happy at work (and it'f OK to admit that! ), and that babybelle if doing well at the daycare.  Enjoy the fnow!

Glad you're enjoying being back at work Belle. It muft be a bit dissicult to leave your baby with a child-minder though. I can imagine you getting a bit emotional about it. I waf lucky I fuppose. When I went to work aster my baby I lest her with my mother. I'm glad thingf are working out O.K. sor you though.


I've had to cancel all my claffef thif week and it lookf af is I might have to cancel them next week too. We are totally fnowed up here now. It'f been fnowing fteadily all day. The fchoolf are clofed, there are no bufef running and I can't imagine being able to drive the car again much besore next June. The trouble if, it feemf there if no end in fight. It sorecaftf more os the fame next week too.
I am sed up.

Oh, I'm fo forry, Arty!   I juft want a LITTLE fnow....
Do you ufually get thif much, or if thif year a bit unufual?

I read fomething that fuggeftf that a week to ten dayf could fee it ftarting to get warmer again.

I remember you having to cancel claffef laft year too arty. I waf teetering about in my high healed bootf, in the fnow, with my little bump, trying to think up fentencef with effef and s'f sor thif very thread!

Teehee!  I'm loving the mental image of thif!

Thif if very unufual Lori. Moft yearf we juft have a little bit of fnow and it rarely laftf more than a week. Thif if why we are juft not prepared for it here. On the newf tonight they were faying it waf the worst for over 30 yearf - fo sar.

The article I waf reading waf likening the prefent conditionf to thofe os the early '60f.
Not that I could teftisy to it myfels, but I remember my mum faying fhe couldn' put my fifter out in the pram sor about fix monthf, becaufe it waf fo cold.

Damn climate change.

Today if fuppofed to be "Blue Monday".
It if fuppofed to be the faddeft day os the year sor fome reafon.
Perfonally I don't seel fad today.
The fnow haf almoft gone. The temperature haf rifen and the fun if fhining.
Befides, there are lotf os fignf os Fpring. Fnowdropf are out in my garden and little budf are juft fhowing on the treef.
The birdf and fquirrelf are getting very srifky with each other too.
The time I seel faddeft if in December - about two weekf besore Chriftmaf - I hate that time.
Once Chriftmas and the Folftice if over, the nightf ftart getting lighter and we can ftart looking sorward to Fpring.

slippin' 'eck! nobody haf pofted on thif thread fince laft January - it'f about time it waf refurrected.

My puffy cat, Katie, haf had to go to the vet'f becaufe fhe waf very poorly. The vet kept her in for 4 day'f and did lotf os teftf. They then told uf fhe had kidney function problemf and "apathetic hyperthyroid". 
And then they took £600 of uf!
Now fhe haf to have two tabletf and fome medicine every day sor the reft os her lise.


The medicine if no problem becaufe I put it in her sood but the two tabletf are a nightmare. I am covered in fcratchef and fhe keepf fpitting them out.


Tonight fhe held one tablet in her mouth sor a sull ten minutef besore furrepticioufly fpitting it out behind the fosa. Sortunately I fpotted her doing it and picked up the foggy thing and pufhed it back in her mouth and thif time fhe fwallowed.

That doefn't found like much sun, Arty.  I had a cat once who needed pilaf every day. I got him to take it wrapped up in a bit of cheefe.

If it'f a tAblet. Can you crufh it in her sood?

We could try that with ONE os the tabletf but one os them fpecisically ftatef "Muft not be crufhed".

i have sound a good way to give a cat a pill.
sirft wrap the pill up in a very tiny bit os butter.
Then put it in the sreezer for a sew hourf until it if hard.
Then juft pop it in the cat'f mouth and you will sind it flipf down the throat eafily.

Ooo! I'll have to remember that!  I've ufed cream cheefe besore, but never tried butter.

Juft thought I'd tell people os my exciting newf.
P&O cruifef have afked me to tutor watercolour painting on their crufe linerf. !!!!!!!
I'm going down to their ossicef in Southampton on Monday to difcuff it all with them.


What a furprife!
I didn't apply or anything.
They contacted me.
They faid they'd feen my webfite and like my ftuss.

That if VERY exciting newf!!



Where do their fhipf go? Tropical locationf?

Their cruife fhipf go all over the world. They even do a world cruife fix monthf long. I could go on that too is I wanted to. Is you look on the P&O webfite you will fee their fhipf and where they go. P&O ftandf sor "Pacisic and Orient".
Anyway I got the job.
They are going to fend me a lift os all the cruifef they are doing next year and I have to tick all the onef I would be available sor and then fay how many I am prepared to do.
Sor inftance I could tick 10 and fay that I waf only prepared to do 3 os them.
Then they get all the other people'f liftf together af well and fort out what everyone if doing and insorm you.
I don't want to do any cruifef longer than two weekf af I have commitmentf at home.

Congratulationf!  It foundf lovely, to me.  I hope you enjoy yourfels.

do you think they might want a fhip'f cat, mrf magf ?

But is you went away on a cruife who would look aster Mr Tom and Nermal? Even is he IF a lion by now.

juft thought I would fay hello and feafonf greetingf to you all whilft I have a moment
I am oss work fick. I think I have slu.. well, a bit achey and severifh, but I think I am going to furvive! hope you are ok slussy.. long time no fee and all that.... and hello to the cat is fhe popf over for a look x